Here’s why 2016 has been especially tough on younger investors

The stock market has been getting absolutely destroyed so far this year, with both the S&P
SPX, +0.59%
and Dow
DJIA, +0.72%
turning in their worst start ever. But it’s been particularly painful for one demographic.

The technology sector, with its volatile nature, is the leading culprit for the declines. Some of the stocks that posted outsized gains in 2015, such as Netflix
NFLX, -0.29%
and Amazon
AMZN, +0.17%
are taking it on the chin in 2016 and pulling the index down with them.

And that translates to bigger declines for the group that relies most heavily on those investments — the sub-25-year-old set. Here’s a look at how they’ve underperformed:

It turns out younger investors, with their longer time horizons, lost 9.6% over that wrenching 10-day period, a full percentage point worse than the average investor’s decline. And, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq
COMP, +0.50%
in red territory, once again, on Tuesday, these numbers could become even more skewed.

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